Killing An Immortal
by E 330
Summary: DISCONTINUED? Naruto's bond with Kyuubi has grown stronger and has made him unaging. After decades Naruto returns to Konoha summoned by the Hokage. An Uchiha Sasuke is being targeted by Orochimaru to whom Naruto will not give a new vessel that easily.
1. Chapter 1

This fic is a project I've been more or less working on for a Really long time, so I hope people will read it! You'd be kind enough to drop in a review, right? I like honest comments. Just tell me bluntly what you think. Also, just ask if something's bothering you and I'm not being clear enough or something.

STORY INFO:

Yaoi / shounen-ai (i.e. gay) content later on so I won't accept any complaints regarding not warning you.

Pairing: Sasuke x Naruto - It won't be a seme x uke relationship, though, and don't know if there'll be any side pairings  
Rating: M - There'll be some violence and some kind of sexual content but I'm not planning on writing a lemon.  
Genre: Adventure/Romance - I'll get to romance later. Buiding the story takes a few chaps, though.

Note! I'm messing with the timeline! Sasuke's somewhere around 20 and Naruto's... a lot older. I don't know which characters are Sasuke's age now and which were born around the same time as Naruto, but it's important that you know to suspect that not everyone's the same age.

Disclamer: Naruto characters and the original story aren't mine. They're the property of Masashi Kishimoto, but the plot of this fanfiction is mine. (this will apply to the later chapters)

* * *

Killing An Immortal  
chapter 1

The Hokage was waiting for him. Naruto knew he was, so he just went straight ahead into the Hokage tower and headed for the Hokage's office. There was some kind of a secretary in the lobby before the office, but she dared not try and stop Naruto. The moment Naruto opened the office door and the person sitting behind the table near the opposite wall had realized that someone had come in; he jumped up from his chair. He seemed to try to do it composedly but he failed miserably.

"Naruto-sama?" he asked, testing the air. He was bewildered. He had been waiting for a former Konoha ninja who had resigned his duties several decades ago and had presumed he would actually look old, too. He was known to have lived for more than a hundred years, so the Hokage had really been expecting someone looking much older than twenty.

Naruto nodded an answer and the person behind the desk, apparently the Hokage judging from his cape, gave the slightest of bows. Naruto had never met the man before, but he supposed a bow any bigger would have been a disgrace to his position as the Hokage; at least he seemed to think so.

'_He's new…_' Naruto thought and brushed the bow aside as always. He didn't wish for anyone to show him high regard.

Everyone tended to show great respect to Naruto if and when they happened to know his identity. For that same reason he tended to hide it. Some respected him because of his superior strength and knowledge. Maybe most did it for fear, though. This Hokage was new in his position and, like everybody else, he had surely heard great stories about Naruto – the protector of Konoha. Naruto had already had the chance to see several people claim the title of the Hokage and the last couple had reacted to him just like this. They hadn't seen the actual person behind the stories and their posture remained tense for the whole time Naruto was in their company.

"We are in all gratitude that you have come! We cannot face this enemy alone," the Hokage said with now half excited, half astonished face. He leaned on his desk and seemed to relax a bit.

"You do know that I didn't come here to fight for Konoha?"

"Yes, I know of your… circumstances. And since _he_'s involved... But still we were unsure if you'd really come…" The Hokage sank back to his seat.

Naruto wasn't going to answer. He understood Konoha's need for protection and someone who the people could rely on, but this is how it always went. They would ask him to aid them in a battle that had even the slightest of possibilities of losing. It happened rarely, though, as Konoha was one of the strongest ninja villages, but Naruto had lived long enough to experience it many times already. They would call for him, whether there was Orochimaru or no Orochimaru involved. He didn't help if he wasn't, though.

"So, what's happening now?" Naruto asked, tired of the silence.

"We do not know the exact location of Orochimaru himself right now, but some of his squads have already positioned themselves around Konoha. He's either trying to surround us or just spying for now. We only found out by accident when one of our ANBU teams was returning from a mission. He's trying to move quietly, though."

"How big are his troops?"

"He's joined forces with ninjas from other villages and they're big enough to counter Konoha now. We have sent teams to investigate but we have yet to find any evidence of actual ninja villages fighting alongside him."

It had been about a hundred years since Orochimaru had killed the 3rd Hokage and he had kept pretty quiet since then. He didn't bother anyone as long as they didn't bother him. He kept himself busy with his experiments, whatever they were, but he also knew that he would have to face Naruto if he attacked. Since Naruto's childhood, generations had passed and now people had started to question the whole existence of both Orochimaru and Naruto. They had become more like legends than real living people. Only the highest ranking citizens had real evidence of their existence. This Naruto knew and it made him wonder whether Konoha knew about Orochimaru's real objectives and he voiced this question.

"Are you talking about his immortality jutsu? We know of that, but what does it have to do with Konoha? Do you think he's attacking for that reason?"

"No, not only for that. He does hold a grudge against Konoha so I guess he's trying to destroy the village in the process. I believe he is currently looking for a new body to contain his soul in and that he has his eyes set on someone in Konoha."

"In Konoha? I don't think he could have heard of anyone that strong living here. Every strong individual's identity is strictly kept secret to prevent attacks aimed at them. ANBU masks are worn for that reason."

"Of course. But I also happen to know that he might have gotten this piece of information before that person was considered strong enough to be kept hidden."

The Hokage sat a bit uncomfortably behind his desk, thinking through all possible ninjas of whom information might have leaked so long ago. Naruto let him think for a while on his own, eying the room in his boredom. The Hokage might even get it if he really tried. There was a picture of each previous and the current Hokage on the walls. They were hung up on two walls opposite from each other on Naruto's both sides, six pictures on each wall. It seemed to Naruto like there was always one picture more when he visited. Naruto's eyes lingered on some of the Hokages' faces. The third Hokage, Tsunade-baachan and Kakashi-sensei… he still missed them. He missed the fourth Hokage, too, even as he hadn't actually known him. They were all parts of his youth.

The Hokage crossed his arms on his desk. He had a grim expression on his face. "You know who he's after, don't you? Do tell."

Naruto sighed. This wouldn't be pretty.

" Uchiha Sasuke."

As Naruto had expected, this piece of information had been a shock to the Hokage. His eyes widened as he heard the name, he stood up and started shouting, "You can't be serious! I've been even more careful in every matter regarding him! I've even made sure his face has never been shown outside Konoha!"

"It doesn't matter. Orochimaru knows of him. Nothing can be done about it now. Just a couple of days ago I heard some rumours which confirmed my suspicions."

"How can he know…?" the Hokage said in desperation with a voice close to a whisper. He slumped back into his chair yet again and looked so utterly desperate that it almost made Naruto laugh. Konoha remained to be protective of its Uchihas.

"You remember Itachi, don't you? He left Konoha some thirteen years ago and joined an organization in which he met Orochimaru. I don't believe he actually told him about Sasuke but the Uchiha incident wasn't as secret as it was supposed to be and Orochimaru definitely knew about Itachi's bloodline limit."

Naruto knew this needed some digesting on the Hokage's part, so he moved himself onto a love-seat on the side of the office, under the pictures of the first six Hokages. It was a very comfortable love-seat, he had to note and he sat in comfort. Naruto always took great pleasure in studying other people's facial expressions and, through them, reading their thoughts. He was a master at this, of course. He had the experience worth generations.

The Hokage was leaning stiffly on his crossed hands. His eyes darted aimlessly around the room, not really seeing anything. '_He's going over all the possible plans of how to save the Uchiha_.' Soon he started to bite his thumb nail. '_Is he really not coming up with anything?_' This went on for a while and Naruto decided to relax until the Hokage would come up with a master plan.

Suddenly, the Hokage jumped up and directed his gaze at Naruto after wondering shortly where he had gone from standing in front of him. "What can we do? I can't just send him out of Konoha because he's a threat and if he stays here and things go wrong…"

"No, you can't throw him out alone but you can't keep him here either. Orochimaru shall not get the sharingan. He'll get too strong. I believe that the Uchiha's not the kind to sit around quietly when others fight, right?"

"Well, no. I guess you're right."

"So we really can't hide him here. Do you have a strong enough team to send with him?"

"No. We need all possible forces here not even mentioning the strongest ones. I already said that Orochimaru's strength is enough to counter Konoha's. And Sasuke-san probably won't co-operate with just anybody anyways…"

Naruto sighed heavily. He had hoped it wouldn't come to this but, at the same time, he had known it would. While travelling to Konoha, he had already gone through every possible scenario. "Then, do you have any objections to me escorting the Uchiha out of Konoha?"

"You?" the Hokage was dumbfounded.

'_He really didn't even consider this as an option_', Naruto thought. '_Although… If I weren't me, then I wouldn't have either_.'

The Hokage didn't take a long time to think it over. "Well… as long as Uchiha-san is okay with it."

"I'm sure he is."

Naruto sighed inwardly. '_What have I gotten myself into_..'

ooooo

­

That evening Naruto was lying in a room the Hokage had provided for him for the night. He didn't have anything to do, so he had decided to go to bed early. He had lain there for about an hour thinking about what he had promised to do for the Hokage.

Naruto knew leaving Konoha wouldn't be that easy. He would easily get through any resistance alone and leave Konoha unharmed, but now he had to consider the Uchiha. He would probably need a diversion. If Orochimaru really had squads all around Konoha, there'd be no way they'd get through unnoticed. It was probable that soon Orochimaru wouldn't let any ninjas or other villagers to get to or leave from within Konoha walls and then their chance to leave would be gone. They'd have to leave soon. Tomorrow would be ideal. The day after tomorrow might just be too late. While Orochimaru was still setting his table, he wouldn't notice some peaces being missing. But then again, Naruto was trying to mess with the vital peaces.

Naruto got up from the bed and went to stand in front of the only window in the room .

The room was only a storage room in the Hokage tower but it just conveniently had a bed in it. It was high in the tower and therefore the window gave out to the roofs of the village houses. The sky was already quite dark but people were still awake as the lights in many houses were on.

One lone district in the distance caught Naruto's attention. His room was positioned just high enough to see the house roofs. The houses had once belonged to the Uchiha clan but now it had been passed on to the only surviving Uchiha in Konoha. Naruto briefly wondered what would happen to the house when the Uchiha himself would be gone.

Naruto had been to the Uchiha territory for several times many, many years ago. He had never liked those surroundings, though. He could never relax there and had always felt ­watched and out of place. The Uchihas had seemed to him like people who didn't care very much about the people outside their clan and he felt that he had been expected to be better and stronger if he wanted to be friends with an Uchiha.

'_When's the last time I really had a friend?_' Naruto sighed. '_It's not easy to live old._' Naruto decided that that was worth a laugh.

He had pretty much isolated himself from other people after his friends had started dying. All of his childhood friends were dead by now. He had known it would happen sooner or later so he had left Konoha before it happened. He hadn't been strong enough when Orochimaru had first attacked and some of his friends had died then. He could never forgive Orochimaru for killing everyone, but his hate towards him had lessened after time passed. By now his old friends would have been dead anyways. His hatred had become like a blunt sword, but he would still kill Orochimaru in the end. He had no other goal in his life so he dedicated his everything to that. No-one but he and Orochimaru could defy time, so this was their battle. No-one else could join them in their immortal lives and it seemed like their destiny to kill each other in the end. Both of them couldn't keep on living and in a way, Naruto hoped it would be he himself who would die.


	2. Chapter 2

I had some sort of a panic attack when only after 20 hours after publishing this story I'd gotten so many story alerts and reviews. I'm really grateful! I went back to writing right away. But... uhm... if you ask me this chapter is pretty boring. It'll get more exciting soon, promise!

* * *

Killing An Immortal  
chapter 2

There were no lights on in the corridor outside Naruto's assigned room. The moon cast a little light to the floor but, other than that, the corridor was dark. Naruto's night vision was above average, though. Foxes have quite a good night vision and Naruto had just as good. It had already been a long time since Naruto's eyes didn't return to blue after using the nine tailed fox's chakra. They were more the fox's eyes than his with their red tint and slightly narrowed pupils. Jiraya, his deceased sensei, had told him that might happen in time. He said that when Naruto strengthens, his chakra increases and it will ultimately weaken the fox's seal from the outside. It won't set him free, but their chakra will get more and more mixed together. But his eyes seemed to be the only place the fox's chakra was affecting. His nails and canines sharpened only when he used a huge amount of its power. He had had scars on his cheeks after the fox was sealed into his body, but they had faded a bit. Naruto guessed it was just normal healing, though.

The corridor continued from Naruto's room's door to both right and left. Both directions curved out of sight as they followed the Hokage tower's outer walls. Naruto turned right. The corridor shelved down and it would eventually circle its way to the tower exit on ground plane. He walked forward but faltered in his step when something caught his eye from the corner of his eye. He looked out of a window next to him but everything seemed calm. He was sure he had seen a flash of someone with a forehead protector fastened on his forehead. It had clearly caught the moon light. The ANBU didn't wear protectors on their foreheads as they had their masks.

The window frame had no glass so Naruto quickly climbed on the window sill and jumped from it to the closest roof. He looked around, straining his eyes. He didn't expect to see that someone again as he or she had moved so fast but there it was again. A slight flash in the distance and in a second Naruto was there, too. He had hidden his chakra and kept out of sight just long enough to see who he had been following. It was a woman with black hair drawn in a pony tail and black clothes to make her almost invisible in the night. Indeed, she wasn't wearing an ANBU mask but the Sound forehead protector. Naruto hadn't expected that Orochimaru would send spies in Konoha so soon. In another flash he was behind the woman holding a kunai to her throat.

"State your business", Naruto demanded, fully prepared to eliminate the intruder.

"I- I'm only delivering a message!" the girl stuttered in panic. Naruto wasn't convinced the panic was genuine. If a ninja was sent to deliver a message, they would at least have to be brave enough to speak clearly.

"Who is the message for?" Normally he would assume the enemy had a message to the Hokage but Naruto wasn't so sure about Orochimaru. He could have just as well found out he had come to Konoha. Or he might just be expecting it.

The girl took advantage of him not concentrating fully on her and tried tripping Naruto by locking her leg around his.

'_Does she really think something like this would affect me?_'

Naruto decided to play along and pretended to loose his balance for a second. He let the kunai waver momentarily from the woman's throat and she took advantage of it immediately. She took hold of Naruto's wrist, removing the kunai from her throat and turning herself around and further from Naruto.

"You're not Naruto-kun, are you?" she questioned with a false smile on her face, "You match the description Orochimaru-sama gave of him but he said that if I'd come in contact with him, I'd be dead. I'll have to come to the conclusion that you went easy on me" The woman paused to see if Naruto was going to confirm anything. When she didn't get a negative, she decided she had been right and continued, "I really do have a message for you. Orochimaru-sama tells you to keep out of this war. You'll arrange your quarrels later."

Naruto wanted to snort but controlled himself. '_Quarrels? Is that what he calls them?_'

"Why are you here? You didn't come here to forward that message."

"You know I can't possibly tell you that."

"And you know I can't let you leave."

"That's right. Then there really is no other choi- ", Naruto had moved fast and the girl had only time to register that he had disappeared for a fraction of a second. Naruto had her hanging on his arm unconscious without any resistance.

'_No other choice than to fight, huh?_'

He threw the limp body over his shoulder and made his way back to the Hokage tower.

ooooo

Normally the Hokage wouldn't be in his office in the middle of the night but, on the brink of a war, he had so much to do. He had been pondering the details of his and Naruto's plan when Naruto flung his office doors open. The Hokage was tired and wasn't really in the mood to deal with Naruto and the body on his shoulder. The Hokage sighed. '_Why would anyone want to be the Hokage?_'

Naruto tied the girl's hands behind her back and threw her on the sofa he'd been sitting on earlier. He really wasn't glad about this new development and he noticed the Hokage wasn't too happy about it either.

"Sound ninja?"

"Yes. I noticed her moving close by and went to check."

"Did she say anything? Why's she here?"

"She delivered a message to me from Orochimaru: I'm not to get involved in this war. That wasn't her only objective but she didn't say anything else."

"You think it had something to do with Uchiha-san?"

"Maybe, maybe not. I was thinking we should leave tomorrow but Orochimaru might just be doing better than we thought. And once he notices she –" he nodded towards the woman "– didn't return, there'll be nothing to slow him down. Either we leave now or we won't leave at all." Naruto turned to the door, case closed and was about to exit and go fetch the Uchiha from his house when the Hokage mumbled something under his breath. Naruto's ears picked it up clearly, though, and he froze in place, one hand on the door knob: "Uchiha-san is not here."

"What?" Naruto asked voice dangerously low. He hoped the Hokage had been joking, even as every syllable in the Hokage's voice had reflected his despair and regret. Maybe even a little bit of fear.

The Hokage knew Naruto had heard him. "He's on a mission. He'll return tomorrow. At noon, probably. I've been trying to reach him and order him back to Konoha sooner but either none of my messages have reached him or he's ignored them. I though he'd be here before you noticed anything…" the Hokage struggled to keep his voice even but he couldn't stop it from wavering as he spoke to Naruto.

Naruto squeezed the door knob so hard it started to mould to the shape of his hand. He just barely kept himself from shaking in anger. '_And that just wasn't worth telling me?! This is so much beyond the pride of this one Hokage! _' He sustained himself from exploding from rage, it would do no good. He drew a few deep breaths before calming down enough to talk. He didn't turn back to look at the Hokage.

"He can't come back to Konoha. I know I'll easily get through Orochimaru's troops and they won't come after me if I'm alone. Where's that Uchiha coming from? From which cardinal point?"

The Hokage stayed quiet for a while. Naruto imagined him sitting at his desk with a sad frown. "From the Wind country. South-West."

Naruto took no time in turning the now malformed doorknob. "If things go well, you won't hear from us for a long while," he said and left.

ooooo

'_Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!! To save his own damn pride he'd risk Sasuke by him returning here! It's the last thing he should do! Fuck it!!' _

Naruto travelled through Konoha to the gate closest to South-West. He had no idea how to find the Uchiha and took his time in making his way to the gate, thinking of what to do. If the Uchiha was supposed to return at noon, he'd still be far from Konoha. It was somewhere around 2 a.m. and his team would probably be resting. He had a better chance of finding them when they weren't moving.

He would have to resort to shadow clones. He was lucky that the Uchiha was still that far away because he couldn't have made clones too close to Konoha. Orochimaru's ninjas would surely notice them and know something was going on.

The Hokage didn't mention they'd take any indirect route, so Naruto opted it safe to assume they'd come back as quickly as possible using the straightest way. That shrunk the area Naruto had to search. He was good in detecting even well hidden chakra signatures so he wouldn't have to make that many clones. He didn't bother to explain his situation to the gate guards but made an inhuman jump over the Konoha wall. It would have become a mess if he would have had to give his identity to them and try to prove it without any documents. It would've been just as easy to claim to be the real Santa Clause.

The forest outside Konoha walls was quiet and seemingly peaceful. Most of Orochimaru's ninjas weren't positioned close to the walls but some spies were surely watching. That's how they had been positioned when Naruto had travelled to Konoha anyways and there seemed to be only a few ninjas near by now, too. He didn't hold any interest in them, though, but right after landing and checking the position of the moon, he started running and jumping in the direction of the Wind country.

He sensed only about half a dozen ninjas further beyond the near vicinity of Konoha, but it was actually less than he had expected. All ANBU teams were told to patrol only the immediate proximity of Konoha to make sure the enemy didn't move unnoticed, but every unnecessary contact with them would be avoided for now. All the ninjas he'd sensed had to be Orochimaru's but they didn't come near Naruto. They could have been only two three or four man teams. They were moving in directions parallel with the Konoha walls but far from them. They patrolled to make sure no-one tried to leave. Orochimaru wouldn't be crazy enough to attack with just two teams on that side of Konoha. If the war would break out now, he wouldn't be able to attack from every direction and calling for aid from other ninja villages would be possible for Konoha.

'_What is he thinking?_' Naruto knew Orochimaru had some kind of a plan ready, but it seemed to be much bigger and more complicated than he had expected.

Once Naruto didn't feel any other ninja presences anymore, he made five clones. They split, each searching their own paths.


	3. Chapter 3

Ugh... I have nothing to say really. Exept that this chapter is good in my opinion. I'm actually getting to the actual story. I'll try to add the fourth chapter on Sunday!

And remember that I'm messing with the timeline!

* * *

Killing An Immortal  
chapter 3

Finally after searching for two hours, one of Naruto's clones sensed four chakra signatures in the distance. Meanwhile the original was met with another problem: how the heck was he supposed to make the Uchiha come with him? Naruto knew he couldn't go back to see the Hokage and he wouldn't get a message to him soon enough, either. The Uchiha wouldn't know his face and neither would his team. He would have to try to talk to the Uchiha himself and convince him. As long as neither killed the other, things would be fine.

The clone that had sensed the chakra neared the group stealthily, keeping unnoticed. It was a team of four members that stayed stationary, probably resting. The clone leapt from tree to tree soundlessly and when it got close enough, it recognized the chakra pattern of the Uchiha. Relatives always had similar chakra patterns and the Uchiha clan chakra stayed distinctive even after such a long time as they tended to marry inside their clan. The fact that Naruto had the feel of an Uchiha's chakra burned to his memory made the recognition child's play.

The clone retreated away from the group and disappeared when its chakra usage wouldn't be noticed. Its disappearance sent its memories to the other clones and Naruto. The search was over and the rest of the clones popped out of existence, too. Naruto headed to the direction the first clone had disappeared in.

'_This is it, then. I can blow this whole thing if I screw up now_,' he thought and hoped for the best.

It would only work against him if he suddenly appeared in their camp, so he made his way towards the small group without rushing and hiding his chakra completely. He always had to hide it somewhat because otherwise it would draw too much attention. He proceeded on the ground with a slow pace.

From distance, it seemed three of the team members were sleeping as their chakra stayed stable and calm but one seemed alert. That one had noticed him and was probably waking the others.

'_I'm so screwed. I'm SO screwed. I haven't done anything this stupid in a long time…_'

There were traps set up near the camp but they weren't a problem for Naruto. They were mostly just some explosive tags that he knew how to avoid. He kept walking slowly. He wasn't even sure himself why he walked so slowly. He didn't know why he felt so anxious. He had no clue of what awaited him. They might as well have planed a defensive attack against him. He felt stupid. This was stupid. He still walked towards the camp.

The second the camp came into his view from behind a tree, he had a kunai almost pressed through his throat and a whole body's worth of others aimed at him. It wasn't hard for him to block all of the weapons but he was surprised there hadn't been a bigger attack. Sure, not just anyone could have blocked such an attack that came totally out of the blue, but they couldn't have assumed him to be a mediocre ninja because they could feel the amount of his chakra.

Naruto had his own kunai against the one that had been pressed to go through his throat. The other one was definitely being held by Uchiha Sasuke. The Uchiha had his Sharingan activated and he stared sharply right into Naruto's eyes.

"State your name," he demanded.

Naruto contemplated whether or not it'd be of any use giving his name. They wouldn't know him anyways. '_But what the hell…'_

" Uzumaki Naruto."

None in the group showed any sign of surprise after hearing his name. Sasuke's expression didn't change either, but rather as if he'd been waiting for it, he withdrew his kunai and stood back.

The team had set up their camp in a place where the trees were a bit scattered. They had sleeping bags around the small area between the trees. Moon light was bathing all the areas where it wasn't halted by leaves. The light was dim, but enough. All of Sasuke's team members were in the standard ANBU clothes: grey vests and black pants. None of them wore their masks, but all other's except Sasuke had theirs in hand. Without being able to explain why, it somehow seemed to Naruto like the team was returning from an assassination mission.

A man diagonally behind Sasuke spoke, a member of the Hyuuga clan, Naruto noted. It was always nostalgic to deal with Konoha ninja. "We have been informed of your possible arrival. We've got orders concerning this situation. The Hokage requests you to make haste and leave with Sasuke at once."

Naruto was shocked but couldn't help giving a smirk. '_So the idiot knows how to correct his mistakes._'

"When did you receive word?" he asked.

"Yesterday night. Another team delivered it with an excuse of going on a mission." the Hyuuga answered him in a monotonous business voice. Naruto hadn't really heard a Hyuuga speak with any other tone. The only exception was Hyuuga Hinata who had been so shy she hardly spoke anyways. Although Naruto knew that she had spoken to pretty much all the others but him as she'd had such a huge crush on him for most of her life.

A girl stepped forward into the moonlight from the shadows. "They said he was panicking so bad, the Hokage that is. So ridiculous. He actually thought we would obey him and let them kill the Uchiha. Really a moron…" The girl was relatively short with bright purple hair tied loosely to her back. She looked defiant and her voice was filled with undisguised mockery for the Hokage.

"You refused to obey your orders? He said something about you possibly ignoring his messages."

"Of course we ignored them! You're on his side? Even the Hyuuga there agreed to not going back." she answered, pissed off just for asking. The Hyuuga was looking away as if claiming he never agreed to anything. Naruto understood him, though. His family would not think well of him if they found out he hadn't obeyed the Hokage's orders for any reason. Such was the Hyuuga clan.

"No. I agree with you." Naruto answered. He glanced at Sasuke, checking if he was ready to go and found him standing around, a small package filled with food in his hand. He handed it to Naruto who packed it away.

"Ready?"

Sasuke grunted an affirmative, addressed his team with a nod and jumped to the midst of leaves and branches with Naruto.

ooooo

Sasuke was definitely fast and Naruto was pleased with that. He knew that pretty much all of the Uchihas were strong but Sasuke seemed to be at least better than some he'd previously met. He hadn't known about Sasuke being an ANBU either, but in a way it wasn't a surprise.

'_Of course… There's a reason why Orochimaru wants him. The Sharingan may not be the only reason…_'

Naruto hadn't decided on any exact destination for them but it didn't matter yet because right then they just needed to get far from Konoha. It was actually good that they weren't in a hurry to get anywhere. They could change their direction any time they wanted and, that way, make it hard for anyone to follow them.

They hadn't said anything to each other after leaving the camp except for the couple of times when Naruto had informed that they'd be taking a brake. There was nothing to say and Naruto was used to being silent. Sasuke seemed to be, too.

'_He's sure the silent type. Not that I mind, though. Too much stupid small talk and it could get annoying…_' Naruto thought and dismissed the silence.

Naruto glanced at the sky and noted that it was already late evening and the night would fall soon. He could have still run for ages with his stamina and sight but Sasuke wouldn't have kept up with him. Naruto didn't know how much energy Sasuke had left and somehow he didn't seem like he'd appreciate being asked, so Naruto thought it best not to go on any further and rest for the night. All they had with them was Naruto's small pack of travelling equipment, which he had sealed into a scroll for practical reasons, and the package of food. They had only one blanket, so the night would be cold for one of them.

"We'll rest here for the night. Not very comfy but oh well... Not sure how fast we'll be travelling but we'll get somewhere better soon enough." They stopped in the middle of an unknown forest, in a place in every way insignificant. They got as comfortable as they could on the forest floor, which was, for Naruto's delight, soft with foliage.

"So the plan now is this: you sleep, and I guard," Naruto stated, throwing the blanket to a questioning looking Sasuke who didn't say anything. Naruto sighed inwardly.

"And yes. You're sleeping for the whole night and I'm staying awake. You've got a problem with that?"

Sasuke frowned but his tone turned out to be somewhat uncaring, "You're not sleeping at all?"

"I don't need that much sleep," Naruto answered without looking at Sasuke. He really didn't want to argue about something like this. "I mostly just sleep when I'm bored." He of course left unmentioned that he was bored pretty often.

The Uchiha finally gave up and lay down on to his side, partly away from Naruto.

'_This is going to be so much fun!_' Naruto thought sarcastically. Although, in a way, he was happy that he wasn't alone anymore.

ooooo

Naruto spent the whole night guessing when Sasuke was asleep and when not. He seemed like a model example of a ninja who always sleeps with one eye open. Metaphorically, that is. Sasuke certainly had his eyes closed. At least for most part he did. It had been pretty creepy for Naruto to suddenly feel eyes on him and see the Uchiha looking straight at him.

'_He was studying me. I like that. He has no reason to trust me and observing me off guard is the best way to find out my motives. I think it's appropriate to expect him to observe me for quite a while. Not that I won't be observing him…_'

Other than amusing himself by guessing for Sasuke's state of sleep, he had gotten to think a lot. Feeling an Uchiha's presence again after so much time made Naruto feel melancholy. It had been ages since then but he'd never forget that part of his past. He'd never forget Osamu and the awful feeling of being alone after losing him. He had been the only one he'd ever called a best friend. Even as other friends had died, nothing broke Naruto as much as Osamu's death. It hadn't been long after that that he'd left Konoha with his sensei for years with the excuse of training and he had returned only to leave once again.

When they had been 12, Naruto and Osamu used to lie on grass somewhere near the Uchiha district after sparring together. They had gazed up to the sky next to each other, tired and drained. Osamu hadn't been very talkative either, but he would always smile when Naruto rambled about something useless and trivial. He kept him company when he felt alone and treated him to ramen. Naruto remembered being happy and content. They both had been happy. He missed those feelings from then, happiness and feeling needed. Those had been good times. Naruto smiled at the memory.

In a way, he had reserved a special place in his heart for the Uchiha clan only for Osamu. He'd never really liked the clan himself, but it was the only thing that reminded him of him. About ten years back the Uchiha clan had been slaughtered apparently for no reason and the occurrence had made Naruto feel like Osamu had died once again. On the other hand there was finally nothing to keep Osamu alive in his head anymore and, after some time, Naruto had started to feel alive again. Osamu couldn't keep him depressed anymore. He wondered if it was because of his lonely life and solitude that he had wallowed in his sorrow for so long. Maybe now, after so much time, he would finally be ready to make a friend.

'_I blame the Uchiha for making me think so much. Company always does this to me._'

For some reason he was in a pretty good mood, though. And when he's in a good mood, he hums. After quickly calculating the hours of sleep the Uchiha had theoretically had, he decided it wouldn't hurt if he woke up to him humming. Sasuke brought a song he had heard once when visiting the Uchihas back to his mind.

'_It might be a bad choice to remind him of his clan but whatever. The guy's twenty or something and he has to have gotten over it somewhat…_'

Not many seconds passed before the Uchiha had his eyes opened. It wasn't a surprise to Naruto, though, since he had already concluded that the Uchiha slept light. Sasuke's eyes didn't reflect horror, for which Naruto was glad, although he saw recognition them.

'_Not a total mistake then. But still, maybe not a good choice either. I may have to explain something to him..._'

Those midnight shaded eyes of Sasuke turned to stare at Naruto. He didn't look accusing, which Naruto had feared.

"Sorry, couldn't come up with anything else to hum." '_And why the hell am I apologizing?_'

"It's fine" Sasuke said with a seemingly emotionless tone but Naruto sensed that he was quite content with listening to his humming. He decided that they weren't in a hurry for a minute or two. After a while, he offered some bread to Sasuke and they had their small breakfast.

"We'd better get going as soon as we've eaten. We're not too far from the Fire country's south-western border now and I was thinking that heading to the Wind Country would be wisest. I have an acquaintance there. The Sand should have the least to do with Orochimaru. We'll head south first towards the shore and then get a boat and sail to the Wind."

"You think they'll let us leave the country?" Sasuke questioned with raised eyebrows. He was almost mocking how easy Naruto seemed to think it'd be.

"All things considered the sea would probably be the safest way to move but… even as I will, of course, do my best to leave, we can't risk you being identified. You're hopefully still in Konoha for all Orochimaru knows. But even if I get identified and they notice I've got company, that'll be that. I always travel alone and Orochimaru knows that. So, if we can't leave the country, we'll just have to hide inside it."

Sasuke seemed indifferent about their plan and neither commented on it nor gave any expression. It annoyed Naruto. It wasn't that he was especially doing this for him but could he just maybe be a little bit into it, too? Sasuke seemed to be there just to obey orders. The Hyuuga had been Sasuke's team captain, so Sasuke never really had had a say in their approach to his fleeing anyways. The others had made the decisions for him. Naruto's anger subsided on that. How long had it been since he had broken his ties with Konoha? When had he stopped listening to what other people told him to do? He remembered once acting just like that; doing what the Hokage told him to do and not caring what happened. That was how people without a reason acted. Naruto's reason had died with Osamu but he had created another reason for himself. Sasuke hadn't?


	4. Chapter 4

I'm taking a break for now. You could think of this chapter as extra long because of that. I'm having some exams at school and I haven't even started the next chapter, so it'll take a while. Plus my motivation isn't what you'd call good. I will not stop writing, but you know... I hate begging but reviews do keep writers motivated. I won't know you like the story if you don't tell me! But hey, I'm really grateful to you few who've reviewed!

* * *

Killing An Immortal  
chapter 4

Two days later Naruto and Sasuke were almost out of the Fire Country but they hadn't tried approaching the sea for now. Naruto had decided they'd rest for the rest of the day before going any further since then they'd be out in the open and it would be more probable than ever that they'd have to fight.

It was evening again. Naruto and Sasuke were sitting in a small clearing in one of the last few forests before the shore. They had managed to find a river where they had refreshed themselves and caught some fish for dinner. It was good to relax there because it would take a long time before they could do that again. They'd have to head straight for the sea after going any nearer to the beach and then they'd both have to be alert even through the nights. Water really wasn't Naruto's favourite element, either, and he wasn't looking forward to the prospect of fighting with it. But he was surprised things had gone so well until then. The extra day had been good to observe the situation and see if anyone was following them, too.

'_Come to think of it, a three-man cell returned to Konoha after Sasuke left with me, right…? Now wouldn't that be suspicious. I'll have to ask Sasuke about that later..._'

Sasuke had his eyes closed while leaning against a tree trunk. He wasn't asleep, though, Naruto knew that. Just deep in his thoughts probably. It'd be a crime to wake him to the world, now. Naruto had a good opportunity to observe Sasuke on his part. He had always said that all Uchihas looked the same. They usually did, in a way, but Sasuke was different. He still had the typical raven black hair and pale skin but he was actually pretty. No other male Uchiha that Naruto had met could have been called 'pretty'. Or maybe he was beautiful, Naruto didn't know.

'_Although… Pretty equals feminine and feminine means girly. And I don't like girl,_' Naruto smirked at his own twisted thoughts. He knew the Uchiha wasn't that feminine, psychologically or physically. He had his manliness. He was muscular and just lean enough to show off his muscles. His face was flawless, though. So much so that girls would envy his skin and long eyelashes. That was what made the Uchiha look pretty in Naruto's eyes, he supposed. Still, Naruto could have sworn Sasuke had been mistaken to a girl when he'd been a kid.

Sasuke opened his eyes and returned Naruto's gaze. His eyes were pitch black and piercing. They held Naruto firmly to them with a look that felt to Naruto like it was reading his mind. It seemed like the longer Naruto looked into the black eyes, the further from reality he sunk. Deeper in the black and further from reason.

"Why are you doing this? Helping me or Konoha?" Sasuke asked but continued, snorting. "Or my clan, maybe?" He still held on to Naruto's gaze. Naruto just barely heard the question and he knew he'd have to break eye contact to give an answer. But breaking it would be submitting. He had his pride. No, he wouldn't do that. He tried to collect his thoughts and eventually succeeded somewhat.

"I'm… just returning the order. Orochimaru… doesn't care about anyone but himself. Still, he's strong and has his own subordinates. Countries can only do so much to protect themselves against him and… I guess I'm here to do the rest."

Sasuke gave a laugh. "You've sacrificed yourself?"

"No… I'm doing this for myself. It's my meaning." Sasuke understood. Naruto saw it in his eyes.

That night Naruto decided to sleep a little and set a couple of clones on watch. He felt exhausted and needed some real rest. He could ignore sleep for a few nights but even he had to rest eventually. He didn't know what had drained all his energy. Maybe the travelling and feelings and the new relation with Sasuke had summed up into something exhausting, he supposed. He lay down on the grass after Sasuke but the blanket was still with him. He needed it more. Naruto wouldn't get sick anyways.

He was about to close his eyes when he noticed Sasuke looking at him again. He looked straight into Naruto's eyes and Naruto looked back. Naruto was sleepy but so seemed to be Sasuke, but, like always, hiding it. Naruto felt an understanding between them then and it felt like a previously unnoticed tension in the air lessened with it. He wished to continue the moment for a little longer but sleepiness took over him and his eyes fell shut.

ooooo

They set off early that morning. Neither of them had a clock with them so they were living by the sun. They had found some food the previous day that they had for breakfast, saving their food supplies which weren't luckily the kind to go bad very fast.

The way to the shore was aligned with few trees covered in morning mist. There was no-one around.

Sasuke had been expecting a sandy beach but this one was full of small rocks. Apparently the sea had been dug deeper than it used to be as the dividing line between beach and sea was lined with blocks of rock moulded rectangular and the water beyond them was dark. There were a few boats tied to the rocks. One of them had people on board and they went towards it.

"Are you the guy who wanted a ride?" one man asked in good sprits. He might have had some drinks before hand, Sasuke didn't know. Sailors always had such a high tolerance for alcohol. The man was bearded and in his forties, just like two men other on board were. They all looked more or less the same and could surely have navigated the boat even by themselves. There was also some cargo loaded on the boat.

"Yes. When are we taking off?" Naruto asked politely. Sasuke wondered when he had reserved a ride for them.

"Right away if you're ready!" the man said grinning. "We were waiting for you!"

'_Yep, he's definitely too hyper to be sober_,' Sasuke thought to himself.

"Excellent." Naruto smiled warmly at the man, he too slightly put off by his enthusiasm. He waved Sasuke to get on the boat. As Sasuke was climbing on, he looked back to the beach frowning. He felt someone there but he didn't see anyone. He turned back to look at Naruto who was chatting with one of the other men.

'_I guess I'll just keep watch. If Naruto didn't react then either he's ignoring it or it's not important…_' He got on the boat and they took off. Sasuke kept staring at the beach until it shrunk out of sight.

"What're ya looking at?" Naruto bounced from somewhere to next to him smiling like he'd finally gotten over a horrible, long lasting headache. He was acting like all his worries had been left on the beach.

"Someone was watching us leave." Sasuke answered unaffected and without looking at him.

Naruto's smile fell off his face and he regained his serious posture. Sasuke almost regretted ruining his mood.

"I noticed." Naruto answered coldly. "They just had to come and ruin the mood. I would have been happy to ignore them." He stared into the mist that was now covering the beach from sight.

Sasuke frowned. He would have ignored them?! "What wrong with you? You can't just ignore them!" he hissed.

Naruto stayed calm. He looked almost sad. "I hate that country. I wanted to feel the happiness of leaving." He turned around and went to sit down somewhere.

Sasuke was left to stare at the spot where Naruto had stood. He clenched his fists closed. He hated the village, too.

---

Naruto sat in the bow, at the opposite end of the boat from Sasuke. He was looking at him. The other man was still turned to the way they came. He wasn't really trying to find an enemy from there now, though. Naruto knew he was thinking again.

Just then he felt a presence of an enemy. No, there were several of them. Naruto couldn't locate them but they'd be alright; they didn't seem too powerful with their chakra levels. Sasuke glanced back at him confirming he had noticed them, too. Naruto shook his head slightly. He didn't want to react to them yet. It'd be better not to rush into a fight when they didn't know who they were facing. They'd just act natural and look like they hadn't noticed them.

Sasuke had his back to Naruto again. He was concentrating on sensing the enemy movements, but he didn't miss Naruto approaching him. Naruto pressed himself against Sasuke's back and wrapped his arms around him. Sasuke glanced back at Naruto from the corner of his eyes and found him smiling lovingly. He got the hint and smiled along him and placed his hands on Naruto's. Naruto was kind of surprised he saw Sasuke smiling, even if it wasn't sincere. He couldn't help wondering when the last time had been when he'd held someone, either.

Naruto closed his eyes and collected his thoughts. The contact was more distracting than he'd thought.

"There are three of them… Do you recognize their chakra signatures?"

"No. They must be from the Sound." Sasuke whispered back.

"Yes. That makes sense. By the way, do you know any water jutsus?"

Sasuke glanced back at him with brows raised. "Not many. My chakra is fire type."

"Sure it is. Like any other Uchiha's…" Naruto muttered. Sasuke glanced at him but said nothing. '_He really knows something about my clan…_'

"They'll probably try attacking soon. We shouldn't look too alert like this. Mind chatting?"

"What..?" Sasuke was incredulous. He wanted to chat now?

"Yeah. I was wondering what happened to your team. Did three ninjas return to Konoha?"

"They used a kawarimi and carried 'me' to Konoha unconscious. At least that was the plan. We don't know if Orochimaru ­­–"

Naruto draw his hands from Sasuke and turned. He had a kunai in hand, stopping another held by a black clad man. Sasuke was in similar position. Both of the attackers had everything but their eyes covered with cloth. They had hoods and high collars to hide everything that could give their identities away. They didn't even show any sign of belonging to any village, not even the Sound.

They stood like that, kunai against kunai. Naruto decided he'd had enough of that and pressed his kunai to the side, dismantling the situation. His enemy disappeared from sight the moment their kunais weren't in contact anymore and Sasuke's disappeared just a second later. They couldn't feel their presences anymore.

"Do you sense them?" he whispered to Sasuke, still back to back with him.

"No." But neither moved.

The three other men on the boat had stopped doing whatever they had been doing and stared at Naruto and Sasuke. First the love scene had shocked them, then the sudden attack and now they didn't know what to think. They just stared.

A good five minutes later Naruto really started to doubt the enemy would attack again. No-one had moved on the boat after the attack. Naruto breathed out.

"Did they leave?" he dared to question.

"It's unlikely… but would seem so."

They lowered their weapons and the other men sighed in relief and resumed their work. Naruto and Sasuke remained standing, peering in every direction.

At the same moment as the enemies' presences returned, the water started to bubble on both sides of the boat and four figures, identical to those from before, arose from the water. They flung themselves towards the boat. Naruto opposed the two enemies from his right and Sasuke took the others. None of the enemies had the chance to touch the boat before they were pushed back.

After furthering the enemies from them, Sasuke took a summoning scroll out of the pouch tied to his thigh and summoned a katana. One of his enemies was just getting up from lying on the sea surface, but the other had fallen into the sea. Sasuke dared not to leave the boat in case the enemy had a binding jutsu set up for when he'd touch the water. He quickly glanced back at Naruto, but immediately noticed that there was actually three of him, two standing in water and one on the boat. The latter was examining the situation without participating in the fighting. He turned to Sasuke when he noticed him looking at him, but Sasuke was on the water already, fighting his remaining foe.

Sasuke's opponent had drawn sais (weapons) out of somewhere and was trying to keep Sasuke's katana away with them. The water started bubbling again and two more enemies appeared out of the water.

Sasuke was about to pronounce some well chosen curse words, but Naruto beat him to it.

"Shit!" he shouted and Sasuke noticed with one quick glance that Naruto's enemies had doubled, too. All three Narutos were now fighting them.

"I killed two and I got four in their place!"

Sasuke's eyes widened. That was it!

"Naruto! Did your enemies fall into water?" he shouted to Naruto.

"Yeah! Hey, what? They replicate like that?!"

"Probably! Just kill them as fast as possible!"

Now that Naruto thought about it, all of his enemies had identical chakra signatures. Sasuke's enemies were different from his, but they were identical with each other. There were two different enemy ninjas present, but there had been a third one before.

Naruto gave his full concentration back to his enemies.

"Oh, hell. I wanted to get some info out of you. Maybe you're not all clones, though." He drew small daggers out of his pouch and aimed at one opponent who was fighting his own clone. The foe received the dagger into his side and first lost all his color and then dropped into the sea like water. Naruto threw another dagger and dissolved another foe. He left his clones to fight one on one with the two remaining enemies and went to help Sasuke. He was surprised to find that Sasuke had already reduced his opponents to one and Naruto was there to witness his last blow. His enemy disappeared and behind them two puffs told them that Naruto's clones had also finished their mission and disappeared.

"Those were most likely Mist ninjas as those were water clones. Is Orochimaru in league with them?" Sasuke wondered.

"Maybe. But he has his human experiments, too. Those might have been two of them."

"We didn't kill the originals, yet. And the third one didn't fight at all."

"I don't know. Maybe they were testing our strength? But if those were Orochimaru's experiments then there's no telling where or how strong they really are."

They caught up with their boat, which had drifted with the current somewhat even as its navigators had tried to keep it as still as possible.

"You fought well!" one of them congratulated.

"Yes! We're proud to have such good fighters on board." All three men were smiling; apparently glad they were still alive.

Naruto just smiled in return. He didn't have the heart to tell them that the enemy hadn't really been defeated yet. Sasuke had turned away the moment they'd boarded the boat again and didn't show any interest in receiving any thanks. Naruto approached him without actually looking at him.

"You know, you looked like Osamu when you smiled before."

"What?" Sasuke glanced to his side and found Naruto staring into distance looking more or less bitter.

"He was my friend when I was still a kid. He was an Uchiha." He was quiet for a while. Sasuke just stared at him. He was both surprised and fascinated. He wanted to know more about his deceased clan.

Naruto frowned. "Your smile looked similar to Osamu's. It was so much alike even when yours wasn't really real…"

Sasuke remained quiet, but finally answered in a voice that was meant to be monotonous but betrayed some emotion. "It was real."

"Huh?" Naruto was startled by the answer and turned, only to see Sasuke ending the conversation by leaving his side.

'_What was that?_'


	5. Chapter 5

I know I took a long time writing this and I'm sorry. I won't give any excuses 'cause it's my fault anyways. But! Today (6.12.) is the day of Finland's independence and thus it's a national holiday! So I wrote and wrote and wrote until my fingers were out. Uhh... yeah... I really like this chapter and I'm sorry for ending it with a cliff-hanger, but try to live with it. I'm really enthusiastic about this now, so hopefully the next chapter will be out real soon! But please tell me if I there's too much fluff or something. I'm fearing I'm changing my writing style too much, too. Tell me what you think!

**I modified all the previous chapters**, so if you're an old reader and you have the time and motivation, you could consider re-reading the chaps. You don't have to, though. There's nothing that important. I added an interesting detail to ch.1, though: Kakashi used to be a Hokage. I don't know if it'll be important in the future, but now you won't miss out on anything if you don't want to re-read. I like the first chapters better now than before and going through this chap turned out to be useful, too, as I found a bunch of mistakes even in this chapter.

* * *

Killing An Immortal  
chapter 5

The night after the attack was calm and quiet. The sailors slept in turns, but neither Naruto nor Sasuke allowed themselves to relax. Naruto was a little concerned about Sasuke, though. He really looked like he could use some sleep. After all, it had been another long day. He needed to be alert in case something else happened, however, and Naruto knew he wouldn't have been able to sleep even if he asked him to.

Naruto was still puzzled by his smile, too. He couldn't get the moment out of his head and couldn't help wondering what Sasuke had meant by it being real. Or rather, why had it been real? What had he smiled for? Had he just returned his smile or smiled at the embrace or… maybe… he'd smiled for him?

Naruto hated most of his past. There was nothing real in it. He would go from place to place, converse with people, get to know them a little and then disappear. He would smile at them and they would smile at him. None of them knew who he was and where he was from. That's why he never took their feelings for him seriously. He was shortly warmed by their affection, but he always felt like the feelings weren't actually for him. They were meant for that someone who looked much like him and travelled around helping people and being interesting in their eyes. No-one smiled at _him_ anymore. The person Uzumaki Naruto was just someone who only dealt with business and thus there was no place for smiles. The one who received the smiles was never Uzumaki Naruto. It was a person identified and looking like whatever was convenient at that time.

So what if Sasuke had actually smiled at _him_? Uzumaki Naruto?

Was it with affection for him or some memory? Naruto thought he really had had a loving look on his face. Maybe he'd felt the same kind of longing for closeness as Naruto had. Naruto let out a sigh. He wished all his sorrows and troubles could be dispersed just as easily as that breath. Closeness brought Osamu back to his mind again and again.

'_I've got to get over it. Osamu… he can't just keep popping back…_'

The sailors offered some previously cooked fish and bread as thanks for the earlier and not even Sasuke had the heart to decline. The fish had been cooked just before departing, so it was still pretty fresh. Naruto built himself fish sandwiches and bit into one greedily. He was happy to save up their own food supplies again.

A strong wind had started to build up during the night. It was blowing the boat forward and it seemed they would be arriving sooner than expected. The wind was really cold and it pierced through the thin layers of clothing Naruto and Sasuke had. They were wearing summer clothes, which had been designed to be cool in hot weather, not shield from icy cold wind.

Naruto moved to Sasuke's end of the boat again and sat down next to him. He threw the blanket they had with them over both of their shoulders. He spied shivers run through Sasuke's body.

"You cold?" he asked, waiting for Sasuke's reaction to his forwardness.

Sasuke seemed to have a short battle with himself on what to answer. He suddenly relaxed himself. Neither had noticed him being tense. "Yeah."

Sasuke moved himself closer so that his side was tightly to Naruto's. It still wasn't too warm, but a lot better than alone without a blanket.

They were both quiet. Naruto was thinking about their closeness again and how it didn't bother him. The whole concept had many times and it puzzled him why he was ok with Sasuke. He wasn't attracted to him or anything.

'_Sasuke's pretty. He's not my type. He looks like a guy with whom a lot of women would fall in love… not guys, not gays…… Actually, he's not really _that_ pretty, only in a good looking way…_'

"Naruto"

Sasuke's voice scared Naruto out of his musing. He didn't feel very comfortable being in physical contact with Sasuke after such thoughts. Mentally he felt slightly uneasy, but physically he was very comfortable.

Naruto focused his eyes on Sasuke who interpreted it as a go ahead.

"What do you know about my clan?"

To Naruto, Sasuke didn't sound sure of himself saying that. It was more like he was betraying himself by asking. Naruto had feared the question but now he really wanted to answer, both because he felt that Sasuke deserved to know and because he wanted to get to know Sasuke.

"I didn't associate much with other Uchihas except for Osamu. He was my best friend when I was still a kid. The blunt truth is that the clan didn't like me. I don't know, Osamu said they just didn't like people outside the clan. All I know about them is that all of them were always demanding more and more from Osamu and, in a way, that's what killed him. He once said that not one of them had ever praised him. He sort of ended up hating them…"

Sasuke stayed quiet for a while, but then narrowed his eyes at nothing.

"So it's really true" he said with a dark undertone. "They really were a bunch of power craving idiots…"

Naruto's eyes widened. '_He thinks that ill of his clan?_'

"Itachi said the clan isn't how I see it a couple of days before he killed everyone. I was still a kid of course and I didn't understand it then."

"Do you… wish to kill Itachi?"

"He's not worth the effort. He wants me to go after him but I won't play his games. He can rot on his own for all I care."

"… yeah."

Naruto felt the same way about Orochimaru. They would 'arrange their quarrels', but it only meant that Orochimaru wanted Naruto to run after him and try to kill him. It would never work and he knew it. The beast would have to be lured out of his nest and, whether he liked it or not, Sasuke was the bait. Orochimaru wouldn't rot on his own, though.

He decided to move back to business. "We're going to see the Kazekage as soon as we can," he said in a whisper. He didn't even trust the sailors with their plans. "I hope he'll know a place we could stay at. They've always had better surveillance on their country borders than in the Fire country, so it'll hopefully be safer to stay there. We can send a message back to the Hokage as well."

Sasuke looked sceptical. "Do you _know_ the Kazekage?"

"Only somewhat. I knew his uncle, though, the previous kage. But I've always had a certain pact with the current one, whether I know him well or not. I help him and he helps me. He's loyal to his uncle and neither would ever co-operate with the Sound."

Sasuke only gave a recognizing grunt.

They enjoyed a silence for a bit before Sasuke inquired, "You're not planning to sleep, right?"

"No."

"Then I can close my eyes for a bit. _I_ can't survive without sleep."

Naruto smiled warmly. Sasuke had been sarcastic.

Sasuke just closed his eyes, but didn't move and inch. Naruto guessed he was just planning on minimizing his brain work and maybe doze off a little, but he wouldn't have minded even if he really slept. He knew that Sasuke would be up in a second anyways if needed.

He hesitated. "… You can lean on me…"

Sasuke opened his eyes in question. He weighed his options and concluded on Naruto. He scooped away a little, closed his eyes and laid his head on Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto didn't notice him hesitate. He'd actually expected him to.

'_This is weird…_' He smelled Sasuke with every breath he took and felt his hair against his cheek and neck. The expression he got of Sasuke then was soft and comfortable but also dangerous. His hair was soft but even that emphasized the dangerous streak. He seemed mischievous, like everything wasn't like it seemed to be. His smell was calming but it was a bit sharp, too. Naruto was dazed by the feelings his senses evoked. He loved Sasuke's smell. He didn't know why because he didn't recognise it and he didn't notice it reminding him of anything. He just loved it.

ooooo

Sasuke woke up in the morning with a terrible ache in his neck. Their boat was nearing a small dock in what he supposed was the Wind country. Naruto had thrown the blanket off them at some point and it really was perfectly warm without it. The dock, it seemed, was located in the middle of nowhere as desert surrounded it in every direction except for the sea. It looked like an endless beach. There was a small, possibly one room building near the dock, but it was more of a shack. Some trees had died standing, casting some rare shadows, but even they didn't seem to exist beyond the beach.

Sasuke tried giving his neck and shoulders a quick massage, but it only helped momentarily. He'd just have to live with the pain for now.

Naruto didn't look too excited either. He wasn't tired, but the rest of the day couldn't get very pleasant.

"You wouldn't have any spare water, would you?" he asked from the sailors. He knew he'd get a negative. No-one would have any spare water in a desert.

"You know, we're just leaving some stuff here and it won't take even a day to our next stop," one of the sailors answered moving to the centre of the boat and removing the cap from a large water tank. "You can take as much water as you can carry," he continued. He grinned like helping them had made his day.

Naruto didn't argue but filled their supplies and got off the boat with Sasuke.

"Did you pay them for the ride?" Sasuke asked.

"No. I've sailed before on similar boats and always pay by providing protection from thieves and such."

"So they know you?"

"Some do. Those who do contacted these sailors and requested a ride for us."

They halted just next to the dock. The sailor who had talked to Naruto before shouted back at them from the boat.

"You can go! We'll be alright after you already did so much for us."

Naruto shouted back, "Thanks very much!" He turned back to face the desert and murmured to Sasuke "We're not going anywhere before they do. It's my fault if those guys from before come back and kill them."

Naruto and Sasuke sat down in front of the small shack. Its roof did extend to above their heads but it wasn't doing much to shield them from the rising sun. There was a tiny tiled area on which it was nicer to sit than on the hot sand, though. The sailors carried some huge bags of something into the shack while Naruto and Sasuke had yet another poor breakfast.

"I'm Yuu in the Sand," Naruto said in the midst of biting into another sandwich.

"What?"

"That's my name. I always use it there. I've told some people I've got a cousin in the Mist, so you can be him."

Sasuke frowned wondering how long Naruto had actually been planning this whole thing. "You've already set this up?"

Naruto lifted his head and stared to the sea. "Kind of I guess. When I talked about Souta, that's your name, I was just building myself an identity there, but now we can make use of it." The sailors were back on the boat and waved at them. Naruto waved back.

Sasuke had nothing to say as Naruto had obviously already decided what they would do. "So we'll leave now?" he asked while watching the departing boat.

Naruto was packing their remaining food when both of their heads shot up. Someone was on the roof. Naruto didn't bother sealing their food into a scroll, but laid the package on the tiles.

The one on the roof neared the edge of it. Naruto and Sasuke stood up slowly and moved away from each other. If the enemy was to attack then, he or she wouldn't get both of them. They took out kunais to both hands and waited.

The enemy jumped down gracefully and faced them. She had black clothes like the enemies before but she wore much less than they and her clothes were of a silky material that was really thin. She had long, dark purple hair cascading on her shoulders and she wasn't wearing any village symbols either.

Her mouth opened and moved as though she was speaking, but Sasuke didn't hear her say anything. Naruto threw his hands on his ears and fell on his knees. He's brow was marked with a deep frown.

The girl advanced towards Naruto, still moving her mouth. '_Is it a jutsu?_' Sasuke thought and charged at the girl. He threw the kunais at her one after the other. She caught the first one in the air and deflected the other while still chanting. She threw the kunai away and while at it didn't notice Sasuke throwing a punch at her face. She flew back and her mouth was forced to stop at the same time.

Naruto coughed and Sasuke turned to him. He was on all fours and blood was tainting the sand under him.

His voice was coarse but he managed to mutter, "Noise…" He threw his hands back on his ears and fell forward.

Sasuke just barely managed to stop a kick with his hands. He held the foot and tried flipping the girl over but she caught herself in mid fall in a handstand and kicked Sasuke back. He flipped backwards and grabbed a scroll from his pouch. He quickly summoned the katana again while the girl pushed herself to her feet. Her mouth had been moving again since she'd attacked after the punch.

'_I have to shut her up!_'


	6. Chapter 6

Okay, a bit shorter chapter than the latest ones. But I have a few problems again! This time I'm afraid I'm making this too cliché and moving the relationship too fast. What do you think? Plus there's some blood here, but is it too much? Tell me, tell me what you think!

I added info to the previous chapter's A/N afterwards. I modified all the previous chapters slightly, so if you read ch.5 on the same day I published it, I suggest you click back to the previous chap. Oh! I always forget to mention this: I keep info of when I'll update on my profile. You can check it out if you're impatient.

* * *

Killing An Immortal  
chapter 6

The girl didn't attack. She just stood in place and stared at Sasuke. He had been intending on attacking her once more, but her passivity caught his attention. She kept chanting but her expression became mischievous.

Suddenly Sasuke could hear her. Her voice was so high that it hurt his ears; aching like it was trying to pierce his ear drums. His hands moved to block his ears automatically, but it didn't lessen the pain. His katana lay on the sand forgotten.

"You were easier to defeat than I thought," she said. "I killed the other two for you, by the way. They failed anyways. Guess there's no need for the others to come after yo -"

Naruto sped past Sasuke. His ears still hurt like hell but the girl's voice was now low enough not to hurt him further. His balance had suffered greatly and he could keep standing only by intuition. He grabbed the katana and flung it at the girl's throat. He didn't know anything else than that the noise had to stop. The girl just barely managed to evade his lunge. Her eyes were wide with surprise while Naruto flung the katana again. He couldn't concentrate fully and he ended up swiping in the vague direction of the girl. She couldn't read Naruto's attack and the katana sunk to the flesh of her right cheek creating a deep gash. Her head had been slightly turned sideways and the blade had managed cut through her skin all the way from her ear to her chin. Blood spurted from the wound even though the girl tried to stem the bleeding desperately with her hand. Against her will tears run down her face and she collapsed onto the hot sand shaking. Naruto knew that such a wound on one's face would be mind numbingly painful.

He stuck the katana to sand and stabilized himself by leaning on it. He felt dizzy and sick. His head was muddled with thoughts, but all he consciously noticed was a horrible ringing in his ears and the fact that the source of the horrible noise had stopped. He forced all of his will power into keeping standing but he could hardly even manage that with the world swaying in his eyes.

The girl tried to open her mouth but the movement ripped her skin further and blood flowed out. She groaned in pain and looked up at Naruto with hateful eyes that said she wasn't defeated yet. Her left hand eased around her to her back unnoticed by the reeling Naruto. Sasuke's eyes widened: Naruto wouldn't be able to evade whatever the girl was planning. He dashed forward and shoved him to the side. The girl shot her hand forth throwing senbon needles at the last target before her. Her accuracy suffered somewhat from their proximity but she drew her hand back quickly and launched another set. Sasuke managed to catch almost all of the needles, but one flew in a completely different course than the others and it sank to the side of his left thigh. His left leg couldn't hold his weight and he had to moving it to his right.

The girl snatched the katana in her hand with her eyes shining in victory. Sasuke realized her goal with the needles had been to distract him. She waved sword at Sasuke who knew there was no way he would be able to dodge fast enough with a damaged leg. Just when the katana was about to hit him, Naruto pushed him back and caught it in his hand. He wrapped his fingers around the blade and yanked the hilt out of the girl's hands. He didn't even stand up, he knew it was better not to. He took hold of the katana with both hands and cut the air with a forceful swing. The girl's neck got neatly cut in two and her head fell off her body with her hand still holding her cheek. Her face on her unattached head reflected the same fear as it had done a second ago and both her head and body gulped for air separately a few times before falling motionless. A large pool of blood was forming around the body, but the sand was sucking it to itself almost just as fast. Naruto looked down in disgust. That hadn't been the first neck he'd cut and the sight itself didn't repulse him, but he found that he hated the girl profoundly.

He let the katana fall to the sand beside him while he stared at the lifeless body. The girl had been sent by Orochimaru. She herself had said so while trying to deafen Naruto. His hatred for Orochimaru grew again. After all this time he was trying to kill someone special to him again. It was stupid, yes, to consider Sasuke as someone special with their circumstances but it was the truth. He was probably already the person who knew the blond best. Naruto clenched his fists, feeling blood on his right palm ooze out. It didn't ache. The wound had already healed.

Sasuke lay back on the sand, leaning on his forearms exactly where Naruto had shoved him. He pushed himself into a sitting position and tugged the senbon out of his thigh. It hadn't gotten deep nor damaged the muscle that badly. The wound didn't seem infected either. There might have been poison in the needle, though, but it may not show until later. He took gauze out of his pouch and started circling it around the wound.

"Orochimaru knows I'm not in Konoha," he stated without ceasing his work. "And the girl said something about more people coming after us."

Naruto turned to him. "But I don't think he knows we're here. The girl and the two others followed us all the way from the Fire country."

"Probably, but how safe is it to go to the Sand village?"

"We do need to see the Kazekage. We really need an update on what's happening."

"We shouldn't take any unnecessary risks. Once we get there, we'll have to leave as soon as possible. And I can't move fast like this."

"True" Naruto did some hand seals and lit the girl's body on purple flames, evaporating every sign of it ever being there.

He went to Sasuke's side. "You didn't get hurt anywhere else, did you?"

"No, but what about your hand?" Sasuke pointed at Naruto's bloody hand.

"It's healed," he answered simply, lifting it and clenching his fist as if to show it didn't hurt. He didn't want to touch the subject of the nine tailed fox.

Naruto sat down next to Sasuke and opened his water bottle while the other tied the ends of his bandage. He offered the bottle to Sasuke, turning to the sky with his eyes closed.

"What'll we do after seeing the Kazekage..?" he wondered aloud. It wasn't really even a question.

"You don't have anything planned?"

"No. I'm counting on luck. And that we'll figure something out later. Too many variables…"

Sasuke grunted in agreement and took one final sip of water before handing the bottle back. He actually felt comfortable with Naruto. He supposed he'd first gotten interested in the blond because he had had some link to his clan, but his simple interest had quickly grown into an understanding between them. Talking to Naruto just seemed easier than to others. Maybe it was because they sort of had a common history. People rarely tried to get to know Sasuke at all, thinking him to be a people-hater. He was, to some length, but even he got lonely sometimes.

"We could settle down somewhere for a while," Sasuke suggested and stared at the sand.

"If we can…" Naruto answered dreamily. "It'd be nice. I'm really tired of travelling all the time."

Sasuke looked at him, surprised by the tone of the answer. The bright sunlight suited Naruto. His hair shone gold and skin looked more alive than ever. Sasuke could only imagine how his eyes would have a watery blue hue. The color of clear blue water would be something exotic to see in a desert.

He wanted to talk to Naruto for some reason. "I won't to go back to Konoha after all this."

Naruto opened his eyes and the hue was exactly like Sasuke had imagined.

"At all?" He didn't look surprised.

"Yeah. You should understand."

Neither of them had nothing in Konoha but memories and more duties. Only the other villagers' high expectations of them and missions remained. Sasuke didn't want to live for them anymore. He wouldn't if he had a choice. Neither did Naruto.

"We should inform the Hokage…" Naruto started but gave a laugh. "He'll go crazy, though."

Sasuke smirked, "Yeah, he will."

He stood up shakily, leaning on his healthy leg. Naruto jumped up after him, worried for his state.

"I'll carry you."

Sasuke snorted, "You can't be serious"

"I am! Now get on my back!" Naruto retorted with a hidden smile.

ooooo

Their speed was hindered by the weight Naruto had to carry, but even so they were making progress. Sasuke was very uncomfortable with the situation, though. He thought that if he really had been badly injured this position would have been tolerable, but now it was just hurting his ego. He cursed the fact that the needle hadn't sunk on his inner thigh. If it had, it would have really hurt to be piggybacked. This didn't do good for the wound, either, but they really had to move.

"There's a cave there," Naruto said and nodded towards a sandy rock a short way on their left. "We'll spend the night there."

He let Sasuke slid off his back. "Does it hurt?"

Sasuke tested the leg and tried standing on it. "Only if I put my weight on it."

He limped a few steps before giving in and grabbing Naruto's offered arm.

The cave entrance wasn't large but it was barely recognizable. It was a small crack on the side of the rock which led inside. There was some hay on the stone floor but other than that the cave was bare. Some sunlight reached inside but when the sun would set they wouldn't see in front of themselves.

Sasuke limped his way to a pile of hay and sat down. Naruto stood in the middle of the cave floor, examining the ceiling. "I was hoping there was a hole somewhere here. We can't light a fire otherwise."

"The night's short around here, right?"

"I guess so."

"Then it doesn't matter if we have light or not."

"True," Naruto said, shrugging, "But it's gonna get cold, too."

"We'll share the blanket."

Naruto smiled a little and went to look outside, not that there was nothing to see. Sasuke knew he'd been led to sharing, but he didn't mind. They had already shared the blanket once and he appreciated being given a choice.

"I'm even planning on sleeping…"

Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "How much do you sleep really?"

"Depends. I sleep when I'm tired or bored, usually bored. I sleep normal nights when I have nothing better to do." He put out the scroll he had sealed their food supplies into and summoned sandwiches for them. He tossed one to Sasuke and started nibbling on his own.

"We have enough water to last two days, three if we drink a bit less. It's just about how long it'll take to reach the Sand with this pace."

"Theoretically I could run tomorrow. If we have to flee from the Sand, though, it's better to have the wound heal properly."

"Yeah. I could summon someone from the Sand to come and heal it for us, but it's risky. The message may get on the wrong hands or the healer killed on his way here. Plus even the Kazekage wouldn't be too happy to sacrifice an experienced ninja for my sake. He's got use for such ninjas on his own. Too bad I never thought it necessary to learn healing…"

Sasuke chewed on his sandwich peacefully while Naruto ranted about their situation. He knew summoning someone would be risky and he didn't like the idea of asking for anyone's help. Suddenly he started feeling tired. He felt shivered and a terrible head ache banged in his head.

"Naruto", he managed in a half whisper.

Naruto glanced back after hearing his name and frowned. Sasuke sat on the hay and held his head, looking unnaturally red. He kneeled next to Sasuke and held him sitting, pressing his palm to his forehead.

"You have a fever… Does it hurt anywhere?"

"Only my head…" He pressed his fingers back on his forehead.

"The wound's probably infected. I really hope there's no poison…"

He pushed Sasuke onto his back and opened his bandages, causing him to hiss. There was nearly no blood on the gauze, but the wound and the skin around it were red. Naruto didn't have any antiseptic, so he wet the clean end of the gauze with water and patted the wound with it softly. '_I hope this helps somewhat…_' He tied the wound again with a new end of gauze.

"We need help…" he muttered, but still decided against calling for it. He didn't know if he could face possibly several enemies while Sasuke lay sick.


	7. Chapter 7

Finally, huh? I so agree. I promised the chapter this week and I just barely made it. I had really, really much trouble with this chapter 'cause I just didn't know what to write. I was stuck on the first three hundred words. Again and again I'm really grateful to all my reviewers and my passive readers, too. If I didn't have you people, I would have given up a long time ago. Still, my updating will probably slow down from now on. I can't help it 'cause it's school. But I'll keep writing even if it takes a month.

* * *

Killing An Immortal  
chapter 7

Naruto gave up on the idea of sleep once and for all after Sasuke's temperature rose. He tucked Sasuke in and stood watch at the cave entrance after that until the sun went down. There was no light in the cave after that as predicted, but it was just as dark outside. Naruto's good night vision did little in that kind of darkness and standing at the entrance didn't make detecting enemies any easier than sitting inside. He could see where things were but they had no color and he didn't see in the distance.

For the whole time he stood there, a feeling of having to keep Sasuke company kept nagging him. It was a completely irrational feeling, but he finally gave up and sat down next to Sasuke and leaned against the cave wall. Even when all he did was listen to Sasuke's discomfort, he felt better being there, closer to him than at the entrance. It was a bit chilly but it seemed like a very impropriate thing to do to crawl next to Sasuke now.

Sasuke hadn't really fallen asleep but more like into a slumber. He mumbled something to himself but awoke a few moments later. Looking at the vague sight of Sasuke he saw, Naruto felt bad for letting him get injured. He knew he could do nothing about it now but it would have been so much better if he himself had gotten injured instead of Sasuke. An infection wouldn't have bothered him at all.

He reached his hand down to touch Sasuke's hair. It was now a little greasy after not washing it for a couple of days but it felt soft none the less. He didn't sense any signs of discomfort for the touch so he ventured on to stroking the brunette's hair. Sasuke's breathing hitched but calmed down soon after. His body had been tense in his slumber but it seemed to relax a little bit too.

A short moment later Sasuke opened his eyes.

"Naruto?" he asked in a whisper. Naruto's hand wavered. He wasn't sure if that was his cue to stop.

"Hmm?" He drew his hand away.

Sasuke pulled himself up to a sitting position.

"What is it?" Naruto asked and pushed himself off the wall.

"Water"

Naruto handed him the water bottle but wasn't happy about it. Their supplies were being drained too fast and it troubled him. They might have to resort to alternativetransportation in the end.

Sasuke gave the bottle back but remained sitting.

Just then Naruto sensed movement outside the cave. He could feel a really well hidden chakra pattern nearing the cave entrance but it moved swiftly and soundlessly. He barely felt the chakra at all and when he looked outside, he saw nothing. That surely wasn't an ally.

"Lie down. There's someone outside," Naruto whispered in Sasuke's ear. Sasuke still felt a little light headed so he decided to comply and trust Naruto. He saw nothing in the dark anyways.

Naruto created a clone in silence and fiddled with the ring of a kunai on his waist, ready to grab it if needed. The clone backed against the wall on the other side of Sasuke and hid its chakra skilfully.

Naruto felt the stranger enter the cave. Now that he was closer, Naruto could hear his steps, too. Still, they were only barely audible to him. The foe inched closer to them but circled past Naruto and towards Sasuke's foot. He thought they hadn't noticed him yet and thus proved Naruto right in assuming he didn't see in the darkness. Naruto had been observing him from the moment he entered the cave and he hadn't noticed his head turned toward him. '_Is he relying on sound?_'

Naruto let him come closer. He would be able to protect Sasuke against one enemy even at the last minute so he waited for the right moment to attack. Waiting would demonstrate both the enemy's motive and skill, too.

When the foe was at Sasuke's foot, he attacked. He sent a set of shuriken at Naruto and two senbon needles towards Sasuke's body. Naruto made a quick decision and shot the kunai he'd fiddled with up and deflected half of the weapons aimed at him. The other half he caught with his left hand so that none of them would hit Sasuke. His clone threw himself forward at the same time and caught the needles. He tossed them aside and punched him hard on his stomach and kicked him back. He hit the opposite cave wall and coughed and gulped for air. He composed himself and pulled out another round of weapons.

Seeing them, the original Naruto quickly created a barrier around him and Sasuke. He didn't trust his luck in catching another round with bare hands. A dozen senbon needles stopped in mid-air and clinked to the floor a few seconds later. The barrier's surface vibrated a bit but remained otherwise unaffected.

Naruto's clone tried hitting the foe but all his attempts were evaded. The enemy connected his hands and started doing hand seals. The clone couldn't discern them and judge what he was doing. He put out a kunai and slashed at him. He evaded but the kunai managed to cut a gash across his stomach. He let out a muted yelp and jumped back covering the wound with his hand. He turned and ran out of the cave with the clone behind him but it tripped him down right outside. He rolled away from the clone and started doing hand seals again.

Suddenly a sword pierced his middle. It reached deep inside his stomach before it was pulled back underground. A gaping hole remained where the sword left the body but the only sign of blood existed under it where it flowed into a small pool. The man didn't move and inch, only stared at the dark sky.

A short moment later the original Naruto climbed back on the sand surface of the ground. He went to the dying man, carrying the bloody sword with him. He hated killing people slowly but he wanted to try and get some answers out of him.

"You're working for Orochimaru, right?"

He received no answer.

The sun was slowly starting to climb back on the sky. In the dim light it provided before sunrise Naruto saw the man's face. He looked up at him with a blank look.

"Are you from the Sound?"

"No."

"But you're working for Orochimaru?"

The man just looked up at him without answering. Naruto was losing his patience.

"Tell me!"

The man started coughing violently and his face stained red. Naruto pushed him on his side so that he wouldn't suffocate. Blood flew out of his mouth on the pure sand. He rolled back on his back.

"He doesn't know you're in the Sand. Is that what you wanted to hear?" he replied with a raspy voice.

Naruto's brow creased momentarily. "Who are you?"

"I led a group of five ninjas sent to the Wind to look for you."

"Just me or Sasuke?"

"Sasuke, but he suspected we might find you with him."

"When was that?"

The man inhaled heavily as if his breathing was becoming laboured "Almost two weeks ago"

'_So he was predicting my actions…_" Naruto thought.

"Were other groups sent here?"

"Not that I know of. He thought you would get this far…"

"Were the three we've already fought in your group?"

"Yes."

"And the fifth?"

"I don't know where he is." The man stopped to cough. "He separated from us the moment we left from the Sound."

"Sound? So you were there. Why are you telling me all this?"

"I want them dead. Both of them. Orochimaru and that guy... He's crazy…"

"Does he know where we are?"

"I don't know!" his voice gave out with the shout. He continued a moment later, "He could be anywhere…"

"You didn't tell Orochimaru we're here when you found out?"

"No. From the start I wanted him dead, not you. But orders are orders so…"

Sasuke limped to the entrance. Naruto turned to look at him before getting a sudden idea.

"Was there poison in the needle the girl used on Sasuke?"

"Yes," the man answered. He turned his head to the side to cough violently.

"Is it deadly?" Sasuke asked.

"No. It was only supposed to make you defenceless. And maybe if it would have hit you too…" he said looking at Naruto. "Do you want to know something else or can I go ahead and die?"

"One more question. Why do you hate Orochimaru?"

"Because I've been living in a tiny fucking cell for the last I don't know how many years of my life. And fighting for life against that maniac. Now finish me off."

Naruto raised his sword and cut the man's neck with a swift movement. He kneeled down and tore off a piece of the now dead man's shirt and wiped the blood off the sword.

"Aren't you disgracing the dead?" Sasuke questioned amused.

"Shut up. The sword needs it," the blond answered with a slight smile. He never actually considered killing nice but as something that had to be done. Finding out about their enemies was a great development and it made his mood rise. He wasn't too happy about the man dying seeing as he had co-operated quite easily but he had attacked them. Naruto had long since learned not to wallow in regret.

He threw the cloth back on the body and stood up. He used the same jutsu as last time to dispose of it. The corpse was enveloped in flames that didn't seem to spread any warmth around them despite the chilly air. They had a green shade this time.

Sasuke stared at the flames for a while. "What color are they really?"

"I don't think they're any color. It alters according to what they're destroying. I don't know how they work… "

Naruto turned to re-enter the cave but Sasuke stopped him at the entrance with his hand on his shoulder.

A small silence ensued while Naruto waited Sasuke to speak but he didn't. Naruto lifted his hand on the other's forehead. He was still worried about Sasuke's health even if the poison hadn't been lethal.

"Has your fever gone down?"

Sasuke's forehead was still a little warm but he looked healthier. He was a little pale but then again he always was.

"Yeah", he answered himself.

He moved his hand to the nape of Naruto's neck and stepped forward. He drew Naruto's head closer and connected their lips.

Naruto pulled away surprised. "What are you –"

"Shut up."

Sasuke drew him back and kissed him hungrily. Naruto blinked a couple of times before giving in. He closed his eyes and responded with the same vigour. He circled his arms to Sasuke's back. Sasuke's lips were a bit dry after the night, but Naruto barely noticed. They parted but didn't move away.

A sly smile slowly formed on Naruto's lip. "Was that just tiredness?"

"No," Sasuke replied with a soft tone. He had an unaffected look on his face but a small smile of his own fought its way on his lips.

After recovering from the initial shock the kiss had caused him, Naruto only remembered how much he really was attracted to the Uchiha. He wasn't sure what his feelings for him really were but he certainly cared about him. Part of his mind screamed that he shouldn't do this, though. He knew how much it would hurt when they would have to part ways, but he ignored those thoughts.

He had never had a serious relationship with anyone. When he was in his early teens he hadn't been too interested in dating and after Osamu died he decided he never would. Now he felt like living again was a good thing.

Sasuke's expression told him the kiss hadn't been just a whim, but he accepted it and answered simply, "Good"

ooooo

Naruto bit his thumb and drew a line of blood on his palm. He performed the necessary hand seals and hit his hand to the ground. Sasuke stood just behind him when a huge toad appeared under them. The sudden appearance would have thrown both of them off the toad's back right away if they hadn't fastened their feet to the toad's back with chakra. The toad was of a dull yellow color and it blended in with the desert sand nicely.

Naruto walked forward to the front of its head. "We'll hitch a ride, ok?"

The toad tried to turn its eyes to look at them, "Is it Naruto?"

"Yeah" Naruto leaned forward to its field of vision.

"Who's that with you?"

" Uchiha Sasuke, but we're trying to keep low profile, okay? We actually shouldn't have summoned you either but we need to get to the Sand village as fast as possible."

"Alright" The toad understood that they were in a hurry and they should get going as fast and with as little noise as possible.

"Thanks"

The toad jumped and soared high in the sky before landing softly a long distance further. It pushed up immediately and jumped again. Its landings lifted a small cloud of sand in the air but made little sound.

Naruto used a wind jutsu on his part to hide them in a sand storm. A rotary breeze picked up around them and soon lifted sand from the ground with it. It escalated into a wind and finally a gale that suffused further from them, creating a larger space around the toad where the sand didn't block the view. From inside the sandstorm it looked like they were inside a high roofless tower of sand.

The storm was better than having no shield for prying eyes but it had its downsides. Naruto had to keep it up for the whole time and keep it as wide as possible. Still, local ninjas would definitely know there was something odd about it, but in best case the local ninjas would be on their side. Naruto hadn't wanted to travel this way. It would still draw attention no matter how well hidden they were. Still, hearing that Orochimaru didn't know they were there made him feel more secure.

They had departed right after ridding the cave of evidence of them ever being there and putting their equipment together. Their travel time would be halved of how fast they could move with Sasuke's leg healthy and they wouldn't have to take any brakes to eat or rest either. It would probably take about three hours to reach the Sand now, Naruto thought.

"We have heard of Orochimaru being on move but what's your part in this, Naruto?" the toad asked while preparing for another graceful landing.

"I'm hindering him as always," Naruto answered with a grin.

"And the Uchiha?"

"That's what's hindering him. Orochimaru wants him as a new container for his soul and that's why we're getting away from Konoha. He was surrounding it with his troops when we left."

The toad understood and remained silent for a while. "You're in an awfully good mood, Naruto."

Naruto raised his eyebrows in question. "I am?" He thought about it for a few seconds and gave a small grin, "I guess you're right."

Sasuke sat a bit behind Naruto changing the gauze on his leg. He gave a small smile himself listening to Naruto's discussion. He was in an awfully good mood, too. It finally felt like things were starting to go according to plan.


	8. Chapter 8

I must say you are right in killing me if you feel like it. I do not want to count the time it took me to write this chapter. As an excuse I have had every kind of trouble during this time including the flu with a terrible fever, a mild depression and insomnia. This chapter is the longest I have ever written for this story, though. Consider it extra long with a humble wish for you not to kill me. Unfortunately I'm still on tight schedule and I'm not making any promises about the next update. I won't give up on this story no matter how long it takes, though.

I have been thinking about some stuff about my writing, though. I have used "the Sand village" whenever I've spoken of it but should I speak of "Suna"? I originally thought it was easier for everyone to read if I wrote it that way but I'm thinking of changing it now. Also when refering to Hokage or Kazekage should I use the article there as "the Hokage" and "the Kazekage" like I've been doing? Tell me what you think of my writing after my 'little' brake and enjoy the chapter! (it's a rare treat .-)

I have to say one more thing: Ichihime, the thing we discussed so long ago, I've finally decided on what I'll do. It's not what you hoped but I always kept in mind what you said. I hope you still enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Killing An Immortal  
chapter 8

"Sasuke", Naruto called from between his joined hands. They formed the rabbit seal to keep up the sandstorm around them.

"Hnn?"

"Would you take the third scroll on your side off my belt?"

Sasuke reached forward and drew the scroll off the thin metallic pin it was attached to the belt with. The belt was just a chain around Naruto's waist to hold the scrolls to it. Sasuke recognised the first scroll on the belt to be the one holding their food. The scroll said 'life' in a kanji, but was much thinner than the one Sasuke took. The one he held was thick with a lot of paper wound around its middle and the kanji of 'change' was written on the outer side.

"Summon the ones that say 'wind'", Naruto instructed.

Sasuke opened the scroll and revealed a seal with the kanji of 'fire' in its middle. The seal was rather small as the kanji only took a third of the paper's height and the surrounding seal wound itself around it with thin ink markings in a perfect circle. Sasuke rolled the scroll open further and found another seal containing the 'fire' kanji. Next there was a 'wind' seal and another identical seal followed. There was an empty space on the paper between the 'fire' and 'wind' seals probably for future use.

Sasuke had noticed that Naruto never used blood to summon items from his scrolls so he just applied chakra to the first wind seal with his hand. A second later a bundle of deep grey cloth lay in his hands. There were actually two robes that were made of a really thin fabric almost like satin but not quite. They were soft, yet lighter and thicker than normal satin would be.

"They're good in the desert. They're cool and prevent burning. And they help blend in", Naruto explained.

Sasuke threw one of the robes on his back and noted how comfortable it actually felt. A small silver hook tied the cloth around his neck.

"I'm supposed to be a weapon's salesman and not a ninja, so we shouldn't stand up too much. And while you're at it, do henge."

"What should I look like?"

Naruto didn't take any time to wonder, "Blue eyes and light brown hair… not to overdo it. And shorten yourself a bit. I think I said you're fifteen…"

Sasuke did as told without reacting with more than raised eyebrows. He didn't like the idea of acting like a fifteen year old but there was nothing he could do about it.

His hair bleached to fallow and changed to straight and shoulder length. His eyes became dazzlingly bright blue. He had gotten the shade from a picture he had seen in the Hokage's office in Konoha of the fourth Hokage. The information about him having been Naruto's father had leaked a long time ago and no-one considered it particularly top secret anyways. The first shade that came to Sasuke's mind of a blue that would suit Naruto was the one that the fourth had had.

Sasuke looked at Naruto doubtfully while the latter looked back with a surprised face.

"Perfect!" Naruto replied to Sasuke's unasked question. "And just in time, we're here."

The toad Naruto and Sasuke were riding on changed its leaps to clumsy walking before stopping altogether. Sasuke leapt off the toad's back and landed gracefully on one knee. Naruto jumped down right after him and turned back to the toad.

"Thanks for the ride. Keep your eyes opened for any news on your end, too."

"Yes. Good luck with your… task", the toad answered with a low voice and disappeared with a quiet puff soon after. Naruto finally let the sand storm around them slowly die out. Sasuke handed him his robe and he threw it on. He preformed a henge on his part but only his eyes changed to blue. His pupils widened a little bit to perfect round forms from their slightly narrowed shape. It was shocking how similar their eyes now were.

The Sand looked peaceful from far away now that they could actually see it. They stood staring at it for a while without making any move to continue toward it.

"Shouldn't we go?" Sasuke questioned softly.

Naruto peered in the distance for a while longer. "There's someone coming. Hopefully the Kazekage sent them…"

Sasuke lifted his gaze back up but could only barely see a small dot in the distance.

Naruto drew a kunai in hand but hid it by pressing the blade to his inner forearm. They weren't really prepared to fight, though. Neither of them believed the comer would be an enemy.

Sasuke rested his arm on Naruto's shoulder and eased the weight on his injured leg.

Naruto looked at him sideways and raised his eyebrows, "Are you acting vulnerable?"

"You're just a weapon's salesman, right? What's more credible than a wounded cousin?"

"True", Naruto smiled and Sasuke returned the smile. Naruto wondered if it was the kiss that opened Sasuke up like this.

The comer was finally near enough for Sasuke to see. He was wearing a soft beige robe with a hood on his head. The shine of his light blue hair twinkled from within it. Brown loose pants and a comfortable looking cotton shirt showed from inside his robe.

Naruto put away his kunai and relaxed a bit. "He's Aoi. He won't attack us…"

Sasuke noted a slight grimace on Naruto's face, though. There was a certain uncertainty in his voice, too.

Aoi slowed down a short distance from them and lowered his hood. Piercing yellow eyes met Naruto's now blue ones with obvious satisfaction.

"Naruto-san", he pronounced breathlessly and bowed down with respect.

"Aoi-kun", Naruto acknowledged while looking uncomfortable. Aoi straightened and shortly returned his pleased gaze to Naruto. His eyes continued down to Naruto's shoulder and Sasuke's arm where he paused and his jaw visibly tightened. Finally his look reached Sasuke's eyes.

"Uchiha-san", he addressed with a clear voice this time and bowed down again.

"Aoi-kun, would it be possible that you would heal Sasuke's leg before we return to the village?"

Aoi's brow creased momentarily from the casual addressing before his head immediately snapped down to locate the injury. "Of course", he said now emotionlessly. He took off his robe and it on the sand and ushered Sasuke to sit on it while he healed him.

"Was there poison?" he asked while undoing the bandages.

"There was", Sasuke started but was interrupted by Naruto.

"It just made Sasuke feverish. It was probably its only function."

Aoi remained quiet for a few seconds before replying. "I should remove as much as I can of the rest of it."

He joined his hands together and separated them after they gained a green glow. He placed on hand over Sasuke's stomach and the other over his ankle and guided them towards the wound. He lifted his hands from Sasuke's body after they reached the wound and a small amount of pale orange liquid was left floating between his hands.

"It's just an extract made of herbs. It's indeed not lethal, but this way Sasuke-san's temperature won't rise again." He reached to his belt where a small glass bottle was bound and let the liquid fall inside it. He then healed the wound quickly and stood up. To Sasuke it seemed like he preformed the whole thing as fast as he could.

"Shall we go?" he asked with a smile that Sasuke recognised. He called it a 'social smile'. "The Kazekage will see you immediately. We've been waiting for you for a week already."

"He knew we were coming?" Naruto asked.

"He thought it was probable. The Hokage sent a team here to tell us of your plan and we've been expecting you ever since."

'_He sent a team? But they can't return…_' Naruto lost the Hokage's logic again, but paid no heed. He turned to Sasuke who was standing up.

"Does it hurt anymore?"

"No. It feels normal."

Naruto smiled in relief, "Good. Then we can go."

Sasuke dusted Aoi's robe and handed it back to him.

"Thanks", Aoi muttered and gave another one of his social smiles. When he turned his back on them to lead them to the village, Sasuke caught a hurt look on his face.

Naruto didn't say or do anything to explain Aoi's behaviour or his own coldness towards him. He was actually cold, or maybe distant would be a better word. They seemed to know each other well enough, but still Naruto acted as if Aoi was just anyone. Naruto stared fixedly at the nearing Sand village and Aoi never turned back to look at them while they walked. Sasuke could feel a meaningful tension between them that surely had roots somewhere in the past.

The village entrance was heavily guarded but no-one questioned their entrance. The walls surrounding the village were high but layered so that guards could position themselves on several heights on it. The actual gateway looked like just a gash in the wall. It was completely open from above but very narrow. The walls were made of stone but they looked like they had been there before and the village had been built inside them afterwards.

Sasuke noticed a wide smile spreading on Naruto's face as soon as they encountered the first ninja by the entrance. It was obvious to Sasuke that it was an act so he tried smiling a bit on his part also. He should act like a pleasant cousin, he thought.

Aoi marched through the thick gateway without looking back once again. Naruto didn't seem too bothered by it as he kept smiling and greeting every other ninja he saw.

The ground beyond the gateway was layered to several levels of which the lowest was the village level. The path circled down steeply to reach the town. They couldn't run down the steep walls because they needed to act like normal villagers, so the way to the town took a long time. The buildings there were high but built comfortably far from each other. The streets were buzzing with people going in every direction. The temperature was a bit cool and the villagers preferred to move outside while it was still tolerable. Once they reached the shopping district it seemed like Naruto was greeted by every shop owner they came across.

"Yuu! Hey, Yuu!" one of them called when they walked deeper in the town. The caller was a woman in her thirties with a pretty face and rough, long blond hair. An even wider smile spread on Naruto's face when he located the caller.

"Hi, Noriko", he answered when they reached her.

"How have you been? Oh! Is this the cousin you've been talking about?" she asked enthusiastically.

"Yeah, that's Souta. We've spent the last month travelling together."

"Ohh! Nice to meet you! You two look so much alike. I've always wanted to meet one of Yuu's friends. He always comes here alone."

Sasuke gave a small bow and muttered a "nice to meet you, too". He instinctively knew that Aoi was far gone. Maybe that had been Naruto's plan.

"I'm sorry we're in a bit of a hurry. We've got some business with the Hokage and can't have him waiting. See you later, ok?"

"Oh. Alright, see you later. And you too, Souta!"

They continued on without stopping for another time. Naruto kept greeting people he knew but didn't stay long enough to chat. It pleased Sasuke, though. He felt a bit stupid standing there as sort of an outsider watching people greet someone they really didn't know at all.

"Aoi disappeared", Sasuke stated the obvious.

"I know", Naruto answered simply. "I knew he would. I can tell you more about it later."

The Kazekage's office was at the top of a huge round house. There were several guards at the entrance, but they stood away when they saw Naruto and bowed. They stared at Sasuke for a long time but seemed to trust Naruto's judgement.

Just beyond the entrance there was a foyer with only one desk with a female secretary behind it. She greeted Naruto as 'Yuu' and batted some eyelashes. Next to her a staircase led to the next level and they immediately turned towards it. They climbed higher and higher until the very top. The staircase had led them outside high above the village. Another pair of guards was positioned in front of a smaller room in the middle of the level. The guards nodded and opened the double doors behind them to reveal the office.

The room was empty, though.

"Kazekage-sama will arrive soon", one of the guards said and closed the doors behind them.

The walls were aligned with windows one after another and they lit the room perfectly. There was a desk and two simple chairs in front of it. A small pile of paper covered the desk but everything else in the room betrayed no signs of life.

Naruto went to look out of one of the windows while waiting and Sasuke sat on one of the window sills next to him.

"Who was that Aoi guy?" he inquired.

"I met him in the desert near here some years ago. It was a coincidence, but we ended up fighting on the same side against some random thieves and afterwards he insisted on following me. We stayed together for a few weeks before I left", Naruto told simply.

"I suppose you left because you didn't want a commitment", Sasuke said with half a question in his voice. Somehow it was obvious to him what had happened, though.

"I'm sure you can tell which nature his feelings for me are."

Sasuke stayed quiet for a short moment before asking another question, "You were never interested in him?"

"That's not it. Playing around is one thing but he actually loves me."

"… Are you playing around?"

Naruto turned to look at Sasuke. He didn't look serious or hurt. It was like he was talking about the weather.

"Don't get me wrong. I've been scared of commitments for as long as I can remember. I've just now started to… You're…" Naruto found himself unable to finish and heaved a frustrated sigh.

"Whatever", Sasuke answered indifferently.

The silence that grew around them after that was in a strange way a comfortable one. Even though Naruto never finished his sentence Sasuke knew it didn't matter. He knew Naruto was serious, but he didn't know where he himself stood. They didn't have a relationship either. They just had… something.

Finally the double doors flung open and the Kazekage marched in. He was a blond man in his thirties. He was rather small but seemed to be muscular under his robes.

"Naruto-san, Uchiha-kun", he addressed briefly before sitting down behind his desk. He waved them to take the two seats before him.

"I'll go right to the point. We can't have you here for long because no matter how well hidden you are someone's bound to find you. No matter what name you're under, Naruto-san, you're too well known here."

"We know all that. Our plan was to bath, change our attires and be on our way."

"I can take care of that. I've been keeping you a room empty so you can stay a couple of nights if necessary but no longer than that. A team from Konoha is also here. What I heard from the Hokage was that he sent several teams in different directions after you left. One was to come here and inform me of the current circumstances and others went to other villages, but the Hokage also said that he didn't trust other villages with the information concerning Uchiha-kun. What we've heard later on is that on the following night after the teams were dispatched Orochimaru's troops invaded Konoha while the protection was the lowest. Apparently Orochimaru conquered the Hokage tower and the Hokage is dead along with dozens of ninjas. This we heard from a Sound ninja, but all we know for certain is that Orochimaru indeed invaded."

Naruto and Sasuke sat staring at the Kazekage for a moment before recovering from the fulfilling information.

"Who was that Sound ninja?"

"We managed to capture him near the Fire country borders. We got his name but he was just a subordinate."

"Did he say something about Sasuke?"

"Only that they would catch him soon no matter how well he's hidden. From that we can come to the conclusion that he doesn't know about their future plans. He seemed to think Uchiha-kun is still in Konoha, too."

"So we can't really get anything out of the subordinates…" Naruto sighed.

"Can we get in contact with someone in Konoha?" Sasuke asked.

"No. All our attempts to send word have failed and even if we send the team back it would just be a suicide mission. I'm dispatching a team to infiltrate Orochimaru's troops as fast as I have enough information about them gathered, though."

"We'll be in touch with you later then", Naruto confirmed.

"Yes. I have no more information for you now, but you can come and talk to me if you want. Your room is in that building", the Kazekage said pointing to one of the surrounding houses. "They'll know who you are when you go in."

Sasuke bowed his head in thanks and stood up to leave, but Naruto remained sitting.

"How is Gaara?" he asked with sadness in his voice.

The Kazekage sighed before answering, "His age is finally catching up to him. The removal of Shukaku proved to be lethal no matter how the extraction didn't kill him."

"Can I see him?"

"I don't think that's a good idea. It would do neither of you any good."

Naruto remained quiet.

"The truth is… he will die. The doctors don't know when but it'll happen. They even entertained the idea of sealing Shukaku in him again, but his body could never contain it again."

"Alright, thank you", Naruto replied before finally standing up.

"I think he's glad to go. You would understand if anyone would…"

Naruto turned away and left the office with Sasuke in tow.


End file.
